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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30040053">Golden Ending</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neverending_Rainbow/pseuds/Neverending_Rainbow'>Neverending_Rainbow</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Infinity Train (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adventure, But Edelgard and Dimitri are still involved., F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route, Fish out of Water, Gen, Mostly Gen, Mystery, No prior knowledge of Infinity Train needed, Pre-Time Skip, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 01:21:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,230</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30040053</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neverending_Rainbow/pseuds/Neverending_Rainbow</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Byleth wakes up in a strange forest with a glowing green number on her hand.</p><p>Things spiral out of control from there.</p><p>~~~~<br/>Expanded summary: Stuck on an endless train, separated from everyone and everything they know, the royal heirs of Fodlan and their professor are forced to confront their deepest fears and insecurities. </p><p>Claude must face his trust issues, Edelgard her past, Dimitri his demons, and Byleth…everything.</p><p> </p><p>**MINOR SPOILERS FOR INFINITY TRAIN**</p><p>Rated M for some discussion of sensitive themes. Otherwise, this fic contains nothing violent or explicit.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Edelgard von Hresvelg, My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>41</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Train</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Very nervous about this. I literally just finished my FE3H playthough and then Infinity Train book 4 was announced at the same time!</p><p>This is the first time I am writing these characters. I have finished the Azure moon route, and only started Verdant Wind. i am writing Edelgard and Claude based off watching cutscenes.  I have taken copious notes for their characters.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Golden Ending: The most beneficial and satisfying (and hardest to achieve) ending in a game.</strong>
</p>
<hr/><p>Someone gently nudged her shoulder.</p><p>Byleth stirred, but didn’t open her eyes.</p><p>“Hey Teach. Wake up.” A friendly voice said.</p><p><em>“Are you going to wake up?” </em> Another, far more indignant, voice said.</p><p>Byleth frowned.</p><p>Both of them were familiar to her.</p><p>Someone sighed, then two strong hands gripped her shoulders and started to shake her.</p><p>Byleth reacted.</p><p>She shot up, shoving the person away, and reached for her sword.</p><p>It was gone.</p><p>“Woah, Teach.” The friendly voice said. “It’s just me.”</p><p>She looked to her right.</p><p>Claude smiled back at her, rubbing his shoulder.</p><p>Byleth relaxed.</p><p>“Sorry for hitting you.”</p><p>“It’s all right. We’ve sorta got bigger problems to deal with anyways. Just look around.”</p><p>Byleth followed his gaze, feeling her heart leap slightly when she saw where they were.</p><p>A forest. But not just <em>any</em> forest.</p><p>It was made of textiles: the grass beneath her feet was soft silk; the trees were made of knitted, dark brown, wool, with fine paper for leaves; the sky was long strips of light blue cloth; and the sun was a large ball of red, orange, and yellow yarn, surrounded by cotton clouds.</p><p>Claude waited patiently for her to digest everything, before speaking.</p><p>“Now look at your hand- your right one.”</p><p>Byleth did so.</p><p>It was glowing green. Or rather, there was a glowing green number on it:</p><p>[1]</p><p>“I have one too.” Claude showed her his right hand. </p><p>[155]</p><p>“I guess I’m more special than you Teach.” He joked.</p><p>Byleth dipped her head.</p><p>“Heh. Well, why don’t we look around? I’m sure we can find some answers- “</p><p>He was cut off by a large flare of green light.</p><p>The air before them opened up and a grey ball appeared, hovering complacently.</p><p>Byleth tried to touch it, but her hand went right through it. She recoiled. It was an illusion. </p><p>The ball cleared its throat, or rather, made a throat clearing sound.</p><p>“Hello!” It said brightly, waving a little arm at them.</p><p>“Welcome aboard, new passengers! - I'm your conductor, One-”</p><p>“One.” A different voice said. It was far deeper and more morose than the first one.</p><p>“You both probably have a lot of questions. Like- “Lighter voice returned.</p><p>“Why am I here? And-” Deeper butted in.</p><p>“Where am I?”</p><p>Byleth blinked. The ball had two personalities.</p><p>“Well, this is a pre-recorded message. So, there’s no need to waste your breath.”</p><p>It looked forlornly at the ground.</p><p>“I don’t even have breath to waste. Because I'm a robot.” Deeper voice said.</p><p>“*ahem*” Brighter voice paused.</p><p>“This is a train where you sort out your problems. Now, I know someone of you don’t even know what a train is. But don’t worry! You’ll get over the shock pretty quickly!”</p><p>“I bet they’re also confused about the glowing green number on their hand. They must be shaking with fear.”</p><p>Byleth exchanged a look with Claude. They weren’t afraid. Just bewildered.</p><p>“The numbers are made by the train. They're a reflection of how bad your problems are. Everyone has one.”</p><p>It chuckled. Lighter voice was back.</p><p>“If you want to leave, all you have to do is get it to zero. To do that, all you have to do is sort out your problems! The best thing is, this train is inhabited by helpful, lovely, Denizens!”</p><p>The ball vanished and a dog wearing a crown appeared. It wagged its tail.</p><p>Several other creatures appeared in rapid succession.</p><p>A large smiling blob. Some chirruping paper birds. A green woman with a rose for a head.</p><p>The ball reappeared.</p><p>“They want to help you!” Lighter voice said.</p><p>“They’ll help you get your number down-“</p><p>“So don’t frown-“</p><p>“What if they want to frown-“</p><p>“All right. Even if you love frowning, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help!”</p><p>Byleth saw Claude stiffen slightly. He obviously didn’t trust the talking ball.</p><p>“Is there anything else we need to say?” Deeper voice demurred.</p><p>“I don’t think so. Oh- some of the Denizens are dangerous.”</p><p>“They don’t really know better.”</p><p>“So, please, pretty please, don’t attack them. Just run away-”</p><p>“-as fast as you can- “</p><p>“- and they’ll leave you alone.”</p><p>“Well, <em>most</em> of them will.” Deeper voice finished. “And don’t leave the train. There are monsters out there. They’re really scary. They’re way worse than the Denizens.”</p><p>“Soooo, I hope you enjoy your journey!” Lighter voice cheered. “Oh, and if you brought weapons on to the train…no worries! You’ll get them back at the end!”</p><p>“By watching this recording, you've agreed to release the train of any liabilities” Both voices said.</p>
<p></p><div><p>The green light vanished.</p>
<hr/></div><p>Miles away, Edelgard and Dimitri had just finished watching the same recording.</p><p>In fact, it had woken them up.</p><p>Dimitri was still tired, trying to supress a yawn, while Edelgard was more alert, glaring softly at the spot where the ball had appeared.</p><p>They were on a rocky beach. An endless grey sea before them. Gulls were crying overhead.</p><p>Edelgard sighed and look at her right hand:</p><p>[559]</p><p>She felt it was taunting her.</p><p>“Show me your right hand.” She asked Dimitri.</p><p>“Huh?” He muttered, but didn’t fight her as she took his marked hand and studied his number. </p><p>[357]</p><p>She harrumphed.</p><p>“Is there any sense to this? To <em>any</em> of this?”</p><p>She released his hand.</p><p>Dimitri rubbed it and then leaned back.</p><p>“I’m as stumped as you are. The last thing I remember was…” He scrunched up his face. “Claude and his professor had just rescued Flayn and that other girl- “</p><p>“-Monica- “Edelgard supplied.</p><p>“Yes.” Dimtiri bit his lip, embarrassed at having forgotten her name. “It was a few days later. For some reason, the four of us- we went into the forest next to the monastery.”</p><p>“It was Saturday. Claude’s professor had wandered off. He was worried about her. He asked us to help find her.” Edelgard said slowly.</p><p>“He didn’t want to make a fuss of it. That’s why he didn’t tell Seteth or Jeralt or anyone else.”</p><p>“So, he bothered us instead. He said it wouldn’t take long. Well, somehow we’ve been kidnapped…only to end up on a <em>train</em>. Whatever <em>that</em> is.”</p><p>“Wait- does that mean that Claude and his Professor are somewhere around here as well?” Dimitri said.</p><p>“It wouldn’t surprise me.” Edelgard furrowed her brow. “I’d understand someone wanting to kidnap the three of us, we’re royalty. But why kidnap a mercenary sans professor? It doesn’t make any sense.”</p><p>“Maybe they didn’t mean to take her? If she was with us, they probably just took her because it was convenient.”</p><p>“Probably.”</p><p>Dimitri looked down, thinking deeply, then smiled and stood up.</p><p>“Whatever that strange message was all about, we’re not going to get anything done if we just sit around. We should survey our surroundings.”</p><p>Sensing that he was about to offer her his hand, Edelgard hurriedly got up and nodded.</p><p>“What if we run into any of those denizens? We don’t have any weapons.”</p><p>“Good point…let’s just take things as they come. We won’t let our guard down. But if they don’t attack us, we won’t attack them.”</p><p>Edelgard sighed, worrying about what was happening back at Garreg Mach.</p><p>“All right. Lead the way.”</p><p>They started walking along the beach.</p><p>After a few minutes, they came to a stone jetty, jutting out right into the sea.</p><p>A hulking stone man was sitting at the end of it, fishing and humming a tune. </p><p>Edelgard resisted the urge to cover her ears. It sounded like two rocks being grinded together.</p><p> </p>
<p></p><div><p>“Pardon me?” Dimitri called out.</p><p>The stone man didn’t turn around. He was too absorbed with his fishing. There was a basket next to him. It was full of little silver fish.</p><p>Suddenly, he laughed wildly and started reeling in his rod.</p><p>A fish appeared at the end of his line.</p><p>He took a closer look at it, then grumbled something about it being too small and threw back into the ocean.</p><p>Edelgard bristled with annoyance.</p><p>“Hey!” She yelled angrily.</p><p>The stone man flinched and turned around.</p><p>He had a large gravelly beard and bright, beady black, eyes.</p><p>“My oh my! New passengers. I can’t remember the last time I saw a passenger.”</p><p>“So, <em>it</em> wasn’t lying?” Dimitri muttered.</p><p>Edelgard glared softly at him.</p><p>“The conductor isn’t an “it”- he’s a he.” The stone man corrected. His eyes widened. “You must be from one of <em>those</em> worlds.”</p><p>“<em>Those</em> worlds?” Dimitri questioned.</p><p>“No wonder you’re so confused. Even more so than the usual passengers.” The stone man slowly stumbled to his feet. He tucked his fishing rod under one arm and grabbed his basket. “Please come with me. I’ll lead you to the door. It’s in the village. Oh- are you hungry?”</p><p>Edelgard wanted to decline, even if she was rather famished, but before she could, Dimitri smiled and accepted the offer.</p><p>“Excellent! You’ll meet the wife. And my kids.” The stone man rambled proudly. “This way.”</p><p>He led them further inland, humming his grinding song.</p><p>“What’s your name?” Dimitri called out as they walked.</p><p>“M’ name’s Shale.”</p><p>Presently enough, they arrived at cluster of domes huddled around a large stone wall.</p><p>There was a large red door embedded in the rock. It had a strange golden symbol on it.</p><p>“That’s the door to the next car.” Shale explained. “But first of all, we need to check in with my family.”</p><p>They passed by other stone people as they went through the village.</p><p>Everyone gawked at them, making Edelgard slightly uncomfortable.</p><p>“Edelgard?” Dimitri said softly, noticing her discomfort.</p><p>She shook her head and pressed on.</p><p>They arrived at Shale’s dome- or rather, house.</p><p>A stone woman was busying sweeping the patio. Two stone children, a boy and a girl, were playing with marbles next to her.</p><p>“Dear! We have guests- passengers!” Shale exclaimed.</p><p>The woman stopped working and grinned at them, while the two children screamed and tackled their father.</p><p>“Hold off. Don’t spill my catch. Go inside.” Shale scolded them.</p><p>The children complained, but summarily scuttled away.</p><p>The woman leaned her broom against the dome and approached them.</p><p>“This is Terra. The wife.” Shale introduced her with a goofy grin.</p><p>“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Dimitri shook her hand. “I’m Dimitri.” He didn’t use his full title.</p><p><em>His first smart move. </em> Edelgard thought.</p><p>“Edelgard.” She said stiffly, also shaking Terra’s hand.</p><p>“Aww. It’s such a pleasure to meet new passengers.” Terra cooed.</p><p>“They umm...they don’t know what a train is. I need to show them.” Shale said.</p><p>Terra gave them a worried look. “You’d better show them the <em>outside</em>.”</p><p>“I would very much like to get <em>some</em> answers about our situation.” Edelgard opined.</p><p>“Same here.” Dimitri said quickly.</p><p>“Oh, you poor dears. So far from home…sometimes I don’t understand the conductor. I really do.” Terra muttered, twisting her hands.</p><p>“Now Terra, you know he only wants to help people.” Shale stated.</p><p>“I know. I know. Now, go off and do your thing. I’ll get dinner ready.” Terra went over to her husband and took the basket of fish and fishing rod from him, before going inside.</p><p>“You’d better brace yourselves. This is going to be a shock.” Shale said as he took them back to the door.</p><p>“Just a moment. Have you seen any other people around- humans?” Dimitri clarified. “Or heard of any other passengers?”</p><p>“No. Why?” Shale said, looking perplexed.</p><p>“When we…arrived here, we were with two other people; a boy our age with brown hair and green eyes, and a slightly older woman with black hair and black eyes.” Edelgard said.</p><p>“Hmm. I’m sorry., but I don’t know anything. They must be somewhere else on the train.”</p><p>“We’ll track them down.” Dimitri said.</p><p>“That’ll be difficult…”</p><p>“Open the door up. I don’t want to wait any longer.” Edelgard huffed.</p><p>“Okay. Just take a deep breath.” Shale went ahead and flipped the golden symbol. The red door immediately burst open.</p><p>The first thing that hit Edelgard was the high screeching noise. It was louder than anything else she’d ever heard in her entire life.</p><p>In comparison, Shale’s humming was like opera.</p><p>Next was the sudden wind, an updraft that made her shiver as her cloak and hair whipped around.</p><p>She took a deep breath and stepped forward, before realising that Dimitri wasn’t following her.</p><p>He was very pale, blue eyes wide with shock.</p><p>“Dimitri?” She said, her voice softening slightly. “Come on, we need to see this.”</p><p>“R-right.” He stuttered.</p><p>They left the rocky beach together.</p><p>Edelgard gasped, unable to stop herself.</p><p>It was like stepping out into another world.</p><p>They were on a revolving, constantly moving, row of carriages- a <em>train</em>, she realised dizzily.</p><p>The world outside was a red, sun-baked desert. She could see a <em>huge</em> green tornado in the distance.</p><p>A long bridge led on to the next carriage.</p><p>She glanced back at the open door behind them; the rocky beach beckoned to her, unperturbed by the chaos around them.</p><p>
    <em>Each carriage is its own little world…</em>
  </p><p>“Edelgard…this is…” Dimitri whispered.</p><p>“I know.” Edelgard said. She turned to Shale. “Is every carriage the same size?”</p><p>“No. Some are tiny-as big as a single room, while others are far larger, containing whole mountains and forests and cities. I can’t describe it adequately. You’ll need to see it for yourself.”</p><p>“How about the next carriage?” She pressed.</p><p>“It’s a puzzle. I would love to tell you how to solve it. But it changes every time someone new enters the car.”</p><p>“Puzzle?”</p><p>“It’s for the door- the next door. Some doors have special mechanisms you need to solve to unlock them; it could be a puzzle, helping the inhabitants of the car, or in some cases, something incredibly weird. It depends on the nature of the car.”</p><p>“So, that means we just need to keep going forward? Until our number gets to zero?” Dimitri said shakily.</p><p>“Yes.” Shale said. “I think it’s about “character development”? I heard that from a giant blob.”</p><p>“What about the people we left behind? Our responsibilities? Our <em>lives</em>?” Edelgard snapped, getting angry.</p><p>“Hey now! No need to get upset at <em>me</em>. The conductor decides who gets on.” Shale countered.</p><p>Edelgard sighed and glared at the floor.</p><p>“I apologise for the outburst. It was unbecoming of me.”</p><p>“I understand.” Shale said. “Just…the sooner you get through your issues, the sooner you’ll get off.”</p><p>“I don’t have any <em>issues</em>.” Edelgard said primly.</p><p>Well, she <em>did</em>. But she wasn't about to tell a random stranger about her past. </p><p>“Neither do I.” Dimitri insisted.</p><p>“Well, you’re on the train for a reason.” Shale pointed out, then shrugged. “But heh, I’m not going to lecture you. C’mon, Terra should’ve finished dinner by now. You’ll both feel better with a full stomach.”</p><p>He paused.</p><p>“You can set out right after. Unless…you want to stay the night? I don’t mind.”</p><p>“Thanks, but no. I’d rather get a head start.” Edelgard said.</p><p>“Same.” Dimitri backed her up.</p><p>Shale clapped his hands together.</p><p>“All right! Now, let’s get back. I’m hungry.”</p>
<hr/></div><p>“By the way Teach, why did you go wandering off earlier today?” Claude asked her.</p><p>Byleth stopped in her tracks.</p><p>They were walking through the textile forest, trying to find a way out.</p><p>“I don’t know. When I try thinking about it, my head feels fuzzy.” She answered honestly, immediately thinking about Sothis.</p><p>She hadn’t heard from her in a while…</p><p>
  <em> “I’m awake. Just keeping quiet. Trying to process this bizarre world we’re in.” </em>
</p><p>Well, at least she had one less thing to worry about.</p><p>“You looked really out of it. I tried to stop you, but you just stared at me and muttered that you “had to go to the forest.” You didn’t say anything else. I immediately went and got Edelgard and Dimitri- I didn’t want to alert Jeralt. I wanted to spend some quality time with my classmates” Claude chuckled, smoothing his hair back.</p><p>Byleth knew he was lying, but didn’t call him out. There was no point.</p><p>“If Edelgard and Dimitri went with you…then they’re probably here as well.”</p><p>“I gathered as much. I wonder if their together like us.” Claude mused.</p><p>“I hope they’re getting along.” Byleth said.</p><p>She resumed walking.</p><p>Claude hurried up to her and matched her pace.</p><p>“Dimitri is easy to get along with. Edelgard is a tough nut to crack. She’s way more reserved than anyone else at the academy. Even you.”</p><p>“I see her talking to her classmates a lot. Especially that girl we rescued. Monica.”</p><p>“Yeah. But I think Monica is just making up for lost time. She’s very clingy. At least with Edelgard.”</p><p>“Do you think Edelgard finds her annoying?” Byleth questioned.</p><p>“I think so. When I saw Edelgard this morning, she had just escaped her. She almost didn’t come with me. Not until I mentioned that you’d left the monastery and that I wanted to follow you.” Claude said. </p><p>“It must’ve been a relief.”</p><p>They came across a stream of shifting blue silk, winding through the trees.</p><p>Byleth leaned down and felt it.</p><p>She raised her hand, trailing a few strands of cloth. It wasn’t wet.</p><p>“Amazing.” Claude said, kneeling down next to her.</p><p>Byleth shook off the strands and looked up.</p><p>She spotted something large in the distance. Something <em>red.</em></p><p>“Claude, I think it’s a door.”</p><p>“Nice find!” Claude jumped to his feet. “Let’s check it out!”</p><p>They continued on.</p><p>The door was in a glade, wedged into a large tree.</p><p>Claude stopped, frowning at it. Then he stared at his glowing hand.</p><p>Byleth raised an eyebrow.</p><p>“It’s nothing.” Claude said. “I’m just curious about why your number is so low.”</p><p>Byleth looked at her own mark.</p><p>“Answers are probably ahead.” Claude said brightly, walking up the door.</p><p>He studied the weird circular symbol for a few moments, and then reached up and flipped it.</p><p>The door opened.</p><p>Claude stumbled back, completely blown away.</p><p>Byleth closed her hand and stared at him.</p><p>She’d never seen him lose his composure before.</p><p>Then she looked outside, taking in the red sky, the endless desert, the green storm, and the moving carriages.</p><p>For some reason, she wasn’t surprised, or even afraid.</p><p>
  <em>“I- have we seen this before?” Sothis uttered.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Yes, we have.” Byleth replied, wracking her brains.</em>
</p><p>She remembered.</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>“Claude, I think I dreamed about this. Last night.”</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Soup Car</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Byleth and Claude meet their first Denizens.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I was so worried no one would like this fic! A big thank you to everyone who subscribed and left a kudos! Love you all!</p>
<p>I was originally planning on making this another split POV chapter, but both halfs got too long, so I split them.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Teach? What do you mean?” Claude asked.</p>
<p>“It has something to do with this morning. With why I wandered off. I’m sure of it.” Byleth said, scanning the desert.</p>
<p>“Anything else?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know. I need to more time- to clear my head and think about things.”</p>
<p>“Fair enough Teach. I didn’t mean to pressure you.” Claude said, smiling at her.</p>
<p>“You didn’t.” Byleth stepped onto the bridge leading to the next car. “Let’s get going.”</p>
<p>She went ahead and flipped the switch on the next door, pushing it open.</p>
<p>Almost immediately, several delicious smells assaulted her nose.</p>
<p><em>Fish. Herbs. Tomatoes. Mushrooms. </em> She catalogued, her stomach growling as she peered into the car.</p>
<p>It was long and thin; wooden seats and tables lined the walls, and there was a counter and a small kitchen further in.</p>
<p>There were people- Denizens, sitting at the far end.</p>
<p>“It’s a restaurant.” Byleth said, as Claude finally caught up to her.</p>
<p>“Yeah…C’mon Teach.” He gently pushed her in and then shut the door behind them.</p>
<p>They started walking to the other end of the car.</p>
<p>As they got closer to the Denizens, Byleth realised that they weren’t actually human. Their heads were too large and <em>circular</em>, and their appendages were long and thin and made of <em>metal</em>.</p>
<p>No- they were all spoons. Eating <em>soup</em>. With little spoons of their own.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Spoons using spoons??” Sothis questioned.</em>
</p>
<p>Byleth ignored her and stared at the Denizens. Even Claude was slightly taken aback, but he managed to hide it behind a large smile.</p>
<p>A spoon-person wearing an apron came over and glared at them.</p>
<p>They had a nametag. It said: ANNIE.</p>
<p>“It’s rude to gawp at people.” They- Annie said.</p>
<p>Claude recovered first.</p>
<p>“My apologies. We’re new <em>arrivals</em>.”</p>
<p>“Yes. We didn’t even know what a train was until a few moments ago.” Byleth mumbled.</p>
<p>“Apology accepted. Are you going to take a seat and order something, or are you just passing through?” Annie huffed.</p>
<p>“As much as I’d love to stop. I’d rather not trouble you. Besides, we don’t have any money.” Claude said sheepishly.</p>
<p>“There’s no need for that. You’re <em>passengers</em>.” Annie said, as if it made all the sense in the world.</p>
<p>“What do you think Teach?” Claude’s tone was cheerful, but Byleth could tell he was hiding something.</p>
<p>“I think that I’m hungry and we should accept her offer.”</p>
<p>“Right. Choose a booth and I’ll be along in a minute. I need to pick up some orders.” Annie said, going into the kitchen.</p>
<p>Claude and Byleth picked the booth nearest to the next door.</p>
<p>“So, Teach, any ideas about how we get our numbers down?” Claude looked at his mark again.</p>
<p>Byleth stared at the tabletop.</p>
<p>“We have to sort out our problems.”</p>
<p>Claude chuckled.</p>
<p>“Yeah. But how do we do <em>that</em>?”</p>
<p>Annie bustled up to their table. She got out a notebook and pencil from her apron and cleared her throat.</p>
<p>“What’ll it be?”</p>
<p>“What kind of soups do you have?” Claude asked.</p>
<p>“Any kind imaginable.”</p>
<p>“Really?” Byleth said, thinking about all the different kinds of soups she’d eaten. Which wasn’t that many.</p>
<p>“Yes.” Annie deadpanned.</p>
<p>“Then I’ll have an onion gratin- “</p>
<p>“Wait, Teach. Don’t be so boring. If we can have any soup…it means we can also enjoy soups from <em>other</em> worlds. Not just from Fodlan.” Claude cautioned her with a smile, before turning to Annie. “Is that right?”</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
<p>“Can you tell us about them? Or at least recommend some?”</p>
<p>Annie looked around the carriage and sighed.</p>
<p>“Look- I don’t mean to be rude. But I have other customers. It’ll have to be quick.”</p>
<p>“That’s okay.” Claude said.</p>
<p>“Fine.” Annie paused.” I’m guessing- this is just an uneducated assumption - that you come from a very unadventurous culture, culinary wise. So, all you have ever had are hearty stews, heavy fish soups, and simple broths, right?”</p>
<p>“Pretty much.” Byleth admitted.</p>
<p>“In that case, I’d personally recommend something with noodles. Like ramen.” Annie frowned.” But even that’s boring. I mean- you can have a soup from any culture, any country, you can think of. Don’t you want to be more adventurous? Get out of your comfort zone?”</p>
<p>Claude blinked, his smile waning for a split second.</p>
<p>“Claude?” Byleth said.</p>
<p>“It’s nothing Teach. I’m just blown away by the selection.” He said excitedly. “Ramen, huh? Is it any good?”</p>
<p>“Yes.” Annie said for a third time.</p>
<p>“It’s like pasta. But much lighter-”</p>
<p>Someone in the kitchen yelled for her.</p>
<p>“One moment Abe!” She called out. “Look, I really have to go. Can you please order something?”</p>
<p>“Ramen sounds great. How about you Teach?”</p>
<p>Byleth mulled over her options. Should she go for something she knew? Or something new?</p>
<p>
  <em>“Something new!” Sothis insisted.</em>
</p>
<p>“I’ll have the same.”</p>
<p>“I’ll be right back with your food.” Annie said quickly, jotting something down before hurrying away.</p>
<p>“Is that really what you wanted to order? Aren’t you curious about other cultures? You usually love discovering new things. In class, you’re always asking the most questions.” Byleth said, giving Claude a pointed look.</p>
<p>“Heh, you noticed my hesitation.” Claude met her gaze. “Nah. Annie was in a hurry. Besides, ramen sounded really good. And it’s something we’ve never had before.”</p>
<p>“…”</p>
<p>“Back to our numbers! So, how do you think we’ll get them down?”</p>
<p>Byleth thought about Sothis.</p>
<p>“By being honest with one another.”</p>
<p>She thought about her father.</p>
<p>“And helping people.”</p>
<p>“That’s an interesting proposition.” Claude leaned back in his chair. “Should we tell each other our deepest, darkest secrets?”</p>
<p>“No-at least, not yet.” Byleth said. “We need to explore the train a bit and figure things out.”</p>
<p>“I agree. And we need to make sure that the “Conductor” was telling the truth about all of this.”</p>
<p>“What do you think Edelgard and Dimitri are getting up to?” Byleth changed the subject.</p>
<p>“Hmm. Dimitri is probably very <em>excited</em> to be with Edelgard, while she is too oblivious or annoyed to notice his change in attitude.” Claude joked.</p>
<p>“I just hope they’re getting along. And that they’ve found something to eat.”</p>
<p>“I’m sure they’re fine. They’re both very resourceful. Especially Dimitri.”</p>
<p>“I wonder how high their numbers are?”</p>
<p>“Very high I imagine. Much higher than mine at least.”</p>
<p>Byleth frowned. She didn’t know if he was being serious or not.</p>
<p>“Things must be a mess back at the monastery.” Claude said.</p>
<p>Byleth’s heart lurched. Jeralt was probably very worried about her.</p>
<p>“I bet it’s pure chaos.” She muttered.</p>
<p>“Sorry Teach. I didn’t mean to upset you. Let’s talk about something else- like soup!”</p>
<p>“All right.”</p>
<p>They chatted about different soups and then about the quality of the food at Garreg Mach, until Annie returned to their table with two steaming bowls and a variety of eating utensils.</p>
<p>“You usually eat ramen with chopsticks. If you don’t like using them, I also brought some forks and spoons.” She explained, setting the bowls down.</p>
<p>“Chopsticks?” Byleth said.</p>
<p>“You hold them like this.” Annie said, picking up two sticks and holding them expertly between her thumb and forefinger. “Though if it’s too much of pain to master, just use the spoon and fork. I don’t want you to waste time and let your soup go cold.”</p>
<p>“Will do.” Claude smiled brightly at her.</p>
<p>Annie huffed.</p>
<p>“Enjoy the meal!”</p>
<p>She swaggered over to the next table.</p>
<p>Byleth picked up the chopsticks and tried to copy Annie’s movements, but only succeeded in fumbling around and almost spilling her soup. In contrast, Claude managed to master the manoeuvre much faster.</p>
<p>Grinning, he pinched the chopsticks together several times, before noticing her struggle.</p>
<p>“Like this Teach.” He reached over and corrected her stance with his other hand.</p>
<p>“Thank you.” Byleth said.</p>
<p>“No problem.”</p>
<p>Hands aching, Byleth focused on her soup.</p>
<p>It had chicken, onions, beans, half an egg, and an assortment of other vegetables in it.</p>
<p>And the noodles. They were long and thin and rather pale.</p>
<p>Fumbling with the chopsticks, she managed to pick one of them up and then shove it into her mouth before it fell.</p>
<p>Sighing with pleasure, she leaned back. It tasted good. Very good.</p>
<p>Claude chuckled at her reaction.</p>
<p>“Claude, eat your soup before it gets cold.” Bylth chastised him.</p>
<p>Claude mumbled an agreement and started eating.</p>
<p>Byleth went back to her own food.</p>
<p>She managed to eat a few more mouthfuls with the chopsticks, before her hands started hurting too much. So, she put them away and switched to the spoon and fork.</p>
<p>Claude lasted a few more minutes, before he too admitted defeat and finished his soup with simpler utensils.</p>
<p>Byleth slurped a few times, but she was too hungry to care. Once Claude noticed her doing it, he started doing it as well.</p>
<p>Byleth felt her mouth quirk up. She knew he was just doing it to try to cheer her up.</p>
<p><em>That’s sweet. </em> She thought, stuffing her mouth full of food. <em>But he’s not going to break my stoic shell that easily!</em></p>
<p>The rest of the meal passed by in satisfied silence. They both ended up cleaning out their bowls.</p>
<p>“That was really good.” Claude admitted, dropping his spoon with a satisfied sigh.</p>
<p>“Yeah.” Byleth said.</p>
<p>Annie came to collect their bowls, smiling when she saw how happy they were.</p>
<p>“Want more?” She teased.</p>
<p>“No thank you. Too full.” Byleth said.</p>
<p>“Is it okay if we just wait here for a bit? While our food digests?” Claude asked.</p>
<p>“Of course!” Annie said amiably, taking their bowls and walking away.</p>
<p>A few minutes passed.</p>
<p>“I hope the next car is somewhere sunny.” Claude said suddenly.</p>
<p>“Same. And somewhere <em>interesting</em>.” Byleth concurred.</p>
<p>“Oh, I’m sure it’ll be <em>interesting</em>.” Claude winked at her.</p>
<p>“What do you think we’ll come across?”</p>
<p>“More denizens. They’ll probably need our help.”</p>
<p>“I like helping people.”</p>
<p>“You’re very kindhearted, aren’tcha Teach?”</p>
<p>“I’m just doing my job.”</p>
<p>“Woah. Humble as well.”</p>
<p>“Claude…”</p>
<p>“Teach, you’re a good person. You’re always helping people; finding lost items, hearing people’s complaints, being an excellent and attentive teacher, and putting up with Hilda. You’re a better person than <em>I</em> am.”</p>
<p>“That’s not true. You’re a good person too. You’re always cheering people up and trying to get them to laugh. I can’t do that.”</p>
<p>Claude laughed brashly, then leapt out of his seat and stretched out.</p>
<p>“I need to walk off my food.”</p>
<p>Byleth sighed, upset that their discussion was over, but stumbled out after him.</p>
<p>Annie met them at the door.</p>
<p>“I hope you guys have a pleasant journey…I wish I could go with you.” She whispered.</p>
<p>“We’ll be just fine on our own.” Claude assured her.</p>
<p>Byleth frowned, then nodded.</p>
<p>“We should get going. Thank you for the soup. It was delicious.”</p>
<p>“Compliments to the chef.” Claude turned the next handle and walked through the door without looking back.</p>
<p>Byleth hurried out after him, closing the door on Annie’s sad face.</p>
<p>Once they were at the next carriage, Byleth stopped.</p>
<p>“Claude, should we go back and invite her to come with us? She knows the train…”</p>
<p>“Nah. We have each other. We don’t need her.” Claude waved her off. “I’ll get the door.”</p>
<p>He whistled sharply once he saw what was inside the next car.</p>
<p>It was filled with fluffy pink clouds. They emanated a sickly sweet smell.</p>
<p>“It’s candy.” Byleth said.</p>
<p>“Want to try some?” Claude challenged her, stepping into the car and grabbing a large handful of it.</p>
<p>Byleth took some from him and popped it in her mouth, chewing carefully.</p>
<p>It tasted like pure sugar.</p>
<p>She wrinkled her nose. It wasn’t her thing at all.</p>
<p>Claude swallowed the rest and nodded thoughtfully.</p>
<p>“Not bad. Now, if only Lysithea were here...”</p>
<p>“She would probably try to eat the whole car.” Byleth smiled.</p>
<p>“That’s the second time I’ve <em>ever </em>seen you smile.”</p>
<p>“It feels nice.”</p>
<p>“You should do it more often. It lights up your face.” Claude complimented.</p>
<p>Byleth’s smile grew.</p>
<p>“I want to meet more Denizens.”</p>
<p>“Same. As long as we don’t bring any with us. We don’t need their help.”</p>
<p>“…”</p>
<p>“Now, if we move carefully through the candy, we should be able to avoid getting too sticky. I’ll help you.” He said, offering her a hand.</p>

<p></p><div>
  <p>She took it without hesitation and let him lead her forward.</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Howzat?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Jigsaw Car</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm back!!!!!!</p><p>Please tell me if any of the character's are OOC</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Are you sure you won’t stay the night?” Terra asked them.</p><p>“No. No. We’re all good.” Dimitri said. “Thank you for the meal.”</p><p>Edelgard waited.</p><p>Now that her stomach was full, she felt slightly better, but she still wanted to get going.</p><p>“Okay.” Terra looked disappointed, then nodded. “If you won’t stay the night, I insist on packing you some supplies. Just some blankets and food and other essentials.”</p><p>“That would be very welcome. Thank you.” Edelgard said, smiling politely.</p><p>She wasn’t going to turn down free supplies. They desperately needed them for the journey ahead.</p><p></p><div>
  <p>She looked at her glowing mark. The long, <em>long</em>, journey ahead.</p>
  <p>Terra bustled around the room, grabbing a backpack and gathering various things.</p>
  <p>Dimitri was chatting with Shale, asking questions about the village. Edelgard figured that he was just being polite.</p>
  <p>Suddenly, she realised that two little pairs of wide eyes were watching her.</p>
  <p>It was the children; the son, Pebble, and the daughter, Marble.</p>
  <p>She huffed and met their gaze.</p>
  <p>The two children widened their eyes even more and started whispering to one another, then Marble shook her head and waddled over.</p>
  <p>Edelgard almost told her that she wanted to be left alone, but she didn’t have the heart to.</p>
  <p>They were just children…</p>
  <p>“Have you ever seen a passenger before?” Edelgard said softly.</p>
  <p>Marble shook her head.</p>
  <p>“I know the feeling. I had never seen a train before- before today.”</p>
  <p>“Really?” Mabel said, completely awed.</p>
  <p>“I think I’m going to see many more unbelievable things.”</p>
  <p>“This train is amazing!” Mabel cheered. “We sometimes get visitors. I saw a talking dog once!”</p>
  <p>Edelgard smiled brightly at the little girl, pretending to be interested.</p>
  <p>Pebble appeared next to his sister.</p>
  <p>“Can I see your number?”</p>
  <p>“Sure.” Edelgard held out her right hand.</p>
  <p>Both children peered at her mark closely.</p>
  <p>“It’s very high.” Pebble leaned back.</p>
  <p>“How are you going to get it down?” Marble said, looking up at her.</p>
  <p>“I have no idea…do you have any ideas?” Edelgard said, slightly mortified. She was asking a child for help.</p>
  <p>Marble’s eyes flickered to Dimitri, then back to her.</p>
  <p>“Are you friends?”</p>
  <p>Edelgard hesitated.</p>
  <p>“Not really.”</p>
  <p>Mabel smiled.</p>
  <p>“There’s your starting point. I’m friends with everyone in the village!”</p>
  <p>“Nuh uh. You’re not friends with me.” Pebble declared.</p>
  <p>Mabel glared at her brother.</p>
  <p>“We’re siblings!”</p>
  <p>“That doesn’t change anything.”</p>
  <p>The children began arguing.</p>
  <p>Edelgard sighed and looked away.</p>
  <p>Terra came over with the now-full backpack, giving her children a reproachful look.</p>
  <p>“Marble, Pebble, don’t argue in front of guests.”</p>
  <p>Both children stopped, glaring at one another.</p>
  <p>“Either go and play outside, or help clean up.”</p>
  <p>They both ran out.</p>
  <p>Terra released a breath and addressed Edelgard.</p>
  <p>“Children. They’re so troublesome…but in my opinion, every moment is worth it.”</p>
  <p>Edelgard stared listlessly at her.</p>
  <p>Terra quickly caught on.</p>
  <p>“I’ve packed all the essentials. There’s even some flint and tinder if you need to make a campfire. Just be careful with it.” Terra fussed. “I also cleaned and packed one of Shale’s more delicate brushes. I noticed your lovely long hair, Edelgard. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than nothing.”</p>
  <p>Edelgard blinked. She hadn’t even <em>thought </em>about her hair. Not with everything else going on.</p>
  <p>“Thank you. I really mean it. Are you sure you want to give us all of this?”</p>
  <p>“It’s no problem at all. We’re a community, so we share everything anyway. And I’m sure a trader will come through soon- we can trade some fish for more supplies.” Terra said warmly.</p>
  <p>Edelgard opened her mouth, then closed it.</p>
  <p>Terra was treating her like a child. It should upset her, but it wasn’t.</p>
  <p><em> I can’t even remember my own mother. And I barely spend any time with my father. </em> Edelgard thought.</p>
  <p>“Are you okay?” Terra said.</p>
  <p>Edelgard raised her head and nodded briskly.</p>
  <p>“Yes. I think we should get going. We shouldn’t intrude on your hospitality anymore.”</p>
  <p>She went up to Dimitri and tapped him on the shoulder.</p>
  <p>“We need to get going.”</p>
  <p>“A-are you sure?” Dimitri said, taken aback by her forwardness.</p>
  <p>“Terra has packed us some supplies. We have everything we need.” Edelgard insisted.</p>
  <p>“Very well.” Dimtiri conceded, taking the bag from Terra and hoisting it over his shoulders.</p>
  <p>“I’ll lead you out. I want to make sure you’re both a hundred percent ready for the journey.” Shale said.</p>
  <p>Dimitri waved the kids and Terra goodbye, while Edelgard just spared them a passing glance.</p>
  <p>It was dusk by the time they headed out, meaning they only had a few hours before they would need to stop and camp for the night.</p>
  <p>As they approached the door, she developed a fluttering feeling in her stomach.</p>
  <p><em>I’m…actually excited. </em> She realised.</p>
  <p>Balling her hands into fists, she took a deep breath and calmed down. She had to be focused. She couldn’t let her emotions distract her.</p>
  <p>“I didn’t want to say this around the kids, but don’t linger between the cars. There are monsters out there in the desert. I’m sure the conductor warned you about them.” Shale advised.</p>
  <p>“What kind of monsters?” Dimitri pressed.</p>
  <p>“I haven’t seen them. But a traveller told me that they look like insects and they can fly. Though they didn’t actually attack him.”</p>
  <p>Edelgard cocked her head.</p>
  <p>“Does that mean that they only attack passengers?”</p>
  <p>“It wouldn’t surprise me. It’s probably has something to do with your numbers.”</p>
  <p>“The Conductor told us to run away if we saw them, and not to fight them.” Dimitri said.</p>
  <p>“Sage advice. Just run to the next car and get away from them.” Shale said.</p>
  <p>“Yes. It’s better to run than to fight.” Dimitri looked away, his face oddly blank.</p>
  <p>Edelgard peered at him closely. Bizarrely enough, she couldn’t read him at that moment.</p>
  <p>She knew the prince put on a…princely façade to hide his emotional troubles, much like she did, but she didn’t know what specific demons plagued him.</p>
  <p>At least now she had plenty of time to figure him out...</p>
  <p>“I’ll get the door for you.” Shale said, not commenting on Dimitri’s behaviour.</p>
  <p>He flipped the handle and the door opened, revealing the alien world outside.</p>
  <p>“Thank you for everything.” Edelgard said one last time, then motioned at her companion. “Dimitri?”</p>
  <p>Dimitri took a deep breath and smiled brightly at Shale.</p>
  <p>“Shale, you have done us a great service. I will never forget you or your family.”</p>
  <p>Shale smiled back at him.</p>
  <p>“I hope your journey goes well.”</p>
  <p>“It will. Edelgard and I, we’ll work together to get off.” Dimitri declared, pumping a fist in the air.</p>
  <p>Edelgard chuckled lowly.</p>
  <p>“With my brains and your brawn, we’ll get off this train in no time.”</p>
  <p>“That’s the spirit!”</p>
  <p>“Good!” Shale cheered, then sobered up. “Be careful out there.”</p>
  <p>“We will.” Dimitri promised. “Edelgard, ladies first.” He bowed and swept his arms towards the door.</p>
  <p>Edelgard took him up on his offer.</p>
  <p>“I’ll go ahead and get the next door open.”</p>
  <p>The next car was long and narrow, with two platforms at either end, separated by a large, black abyss.</p>
  <p>Edelgard eyed the abyss warily, remembering that the car was a “puzzle”.</p>
  <p>She looked behind her.</p>
  <p>There was a pile of heavy looking white puzzles pieces next to the door.</p>
  <p>They would have to build a way across.</p>
  <p>An arduous task.</p>
  <p>She groaned just as Dimitri entered the car and shut the door behind him.</p>
  <p>He studied the obstacle before them and then regarded her with worried eyes.</p>
  <p>“Edelgard, now that we’re alone again. Can we talk?” He sat down against the door, putting the backpack down.</p>
  <p>“Fine. But not for long.” Edelgard said, sitting a good distance away from him.</p>
  <p>“First of all, our numbers…how are we going to get them down?” Dimitri raised his glowing hand.</p>
  <p>“I have no idea.” Edelgard lied, recalling Marble’s advice.</p>
  <p>“Neither do I.” Dimitri lowered his hand and smiled at her. “So, we’ll work it out together.”</p>
  <p>“Anything else?” Edelgard muttered.</p>
  <p>“We have enough supplies for a couple of days. When we run out, I’m sure we’ll come across some friendly denizens or at least find a place where we can forage for food.”</p>
  <p>“We shouldn’t want for anything. Except for an exit home.” Edelgard said darkly.</p>
  <p>Thanks to her second crest, she didn’t have much time left already. And she wasting even more of it on the train, stuck with someone she had once tried to kill.</p>
  <p>“That’s correct. But- “Dimitri fidgeted. “-the two of us have been through worse than this. If we can survive battles, and death, and everything else, we can survive this.”</p>
  <p>Despite everything, Edelgard felt her spirits rise. Dimitri was <em>right</em>.</p>
  <p>They’d both been through worse. <em>Much</em> worse.</p>
  <p>She nodded sagely and clambered to her feet.</p>
  <p>“Let’s solve this puzzle.”</p>
  <p>Dimitri grinned like a little child and jumped up excitedly.</p>
  <p>Edelgard pointed at the pile of jigsaw pieces. “You can lift those, right?”</p>
  <p>“Easily.”</p>
  <p>“Start spreading them out. We need to figure out which pieces fit together and make a bridge out of them.”</p>
  <p>Dimitri grabbed several pieces, as if they were nothing, and followed her instructions.</p>
  <p>“I’ll do the lifting, and you do the directing.”</p>
  <p>It took hours to build a bridge across the gap, but they managed to do it.</p>
  <p>As soon as the last piece slid into place, a loud click reverberated around the carriage.</p>
  <p>It was music to Edelgard’s ears.</p>
  <p>She rushed to the door and opened it, basking in the fresh air.</p>
  <p>Well, it wasn’t really fresh, but it was still air.</p>
  <p>“We can’t linger outside Edelgard. Remember what Shale said; there are monsters out here.” Dimitri said after a few moments, looking at the darkening sky. “And it’s night. We should find a place to set up camp.”</p>
  <p>“Are you sure we should stop? We only covered one car in what, three hours?” Edelgard countered.</p>
  <p>“Let’s just see what the next carriage is like.” Dimitri said.</p>
</div><div>
  <hr/>
</div><div>
  <p>It was a jungle. A <em>glowing</em> jungle.</p>
  <p>Everything was either purple, or blue, or both.</p>
  <p>Edelgard spooked a parrot as she shoved aside a bush.</p>
  <p><em>At least this carriage has wildlife. </em> She thought, glancing at the sky.</p>
  <p>The moon was blue.</p>
  <p>“Hey! I found a cave!” Dimitri suddenly yelled.</p>
  <p>Edelgard followed his voice and found him studying a small opening at the bottom of a hill.</p>
  <p>“Is there enough space for both of us?”</p>
  <p>“I think it opens up further in. C’mon!” He crouched and went into the cave.</p>
  <p>Edelgard sighed and looked around, watching a number of vibrant lizard’s scurry past her, before following him through.</p>
  <p>Sure enough, the cave opened up to a decent sized cavern. There was even a small pool of water in the far corner.</p>
  <p>Dimitri felt the ground.</p>
  <p>“It’s surprisingly soft. Should be comfortable enough to sleep on.”</p>
  <p>“So, we’ll camp here overnight and set off early tomorrow morning.” Edelgard nodded. “Right, leave the bag here and go and gather some wood and rocks for a fire while I sort everything out. Terra left us some flint and tinder.”</p>
  <p>Dimitri laughed heartily.</p>
  <p>“What’s so funny?” Edelgard raised an eyebrow.</p>
  <p>“It’s nothing.”</p>
  <p>“Tell me.”</p>
  <p>“It’s just- you haven’t- “He bit his lip and laughed some more.</p>
  <p>“This is the longest time we’ve spent together. Alone. At the academy, we only ever trained together, or socialised, on rare occasions, and there were always other people present. Even during that fateful encounter five months ago, when we snuck away to do some private training, Claude was still with us. Then we ended up meeting Byleth- “</p>
  <p>“Dimitri, please.” Edelgard said tiredly.</p>
  <p>“Sorry. I just wanted to say that I’m enjoying your company.”</p>
  <p>“You’re enjoying <em>this</em>? Being stranded here?”</p>
  <p>“No. No. That isn’t it at all.” Dimitri winced. “It just made me realise that I should’ve approached you sooner- spent more time with you back at the academy. I was being a coward. We could’ve been great friends.”</p>
  <p>“Why…” Edelgard said, only to trail off when she saw his number fall.</p>
  <p>It now read:</p>
  <p>[350]</p>
  <p>“My number fell?” Dimitri muttered, gaping at his hand.</p>
  <p>“By seven.”</p>
  <p>Dimitri grinned.</p>
  <p>“If it’s that easy, then we’ll be off this train in no time!”</p>
  <p>“Dimitri, we’re going to be here a <em>long</em> time.” Edelgard said patiently.</p>
  <p>“I know.” He shrugged off the backpack. “I’m going to get stuff for a fire. You set up camp.” He hurried out.</p>
  <p>Edelgard started sorting through the bag, trying to take her mind off of things.</p>
  <p>She thought about Marble and her childish advice again.</p>
  <p><em>Maybe she’s right. </em> Edelgard shook her head.</p>
  <p>She couldn’t get close to Dimitri.</p>
  <p>All she had to do was tolerate him.</p>
  <p>She grabbed the flint and tinder.</p>
  <p>Yes.</p>
  <p>Tolerate.</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Howzat?</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Howzat?</p></blockquote></div></div>
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